Vehicle sharing services (such as those offered by Zipcar, Inc. of Cambridge, Mass.) have become increasingly popular in the Unites States and around the world. The principles of vehicle sharing services are fairly straight forward. Individuals gain the benefits of private vehicles without the costs and responsibilities of ownership. Instead of owning one or more vehicles, a household accesses a fleet of vehicles on an as-needed basis.
In certain vehicle sharing services, the users are members and have been pre-approved to drive (e.g., background driving checks have been performed and a payment mechanism has been established). Shared vehicles are picked up and returned to a designated space. Vehicle locations are distributed throughout the service area, and often located for access by public transport. Typically, insurance and fuel costs are included in the rates.
Vehicle sharing services offer several advantages over traditional car rentals. Vehicle sharing services are not limited by office hours, and are available twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Reservation, pickup, and return for vehicles of a vehicle sharing services is self-service. Shared vehicles can be rented by the minute, by the hour, as well as by the day.